Spirit Walker
by FakerKing
Summary: A world in which Kamito isn't the Demon King. A world in which Velsaria wasn't ignored by 'Ren Ashbell'. A world in which cardboard doesn't exist. Behold a snag in the myth and the destruction of a system.
1. Prologue

Welcome, one and all, big and small, to my latest attempt at a somewhat readable story! Long and hard have I thought upon this, trying to keep myself amused whilst in the throes of dead work nights. Lo, and behold Spirit Walker! The story where comedy may come from the most heart-wrenching of situations! Let the story move on.

"Talking"

'Thoughts/emphasis'

_Emphasis/the past_

* * *

Grunting in exertion, Velsaria Fahrengart absorbed yet another of her opponent's ridiculously strong attacks. While her own spirit was far stronger in terms of physical strength in its Elemental Waffe form, Silent Fortress, Velsaria was being pushed back by the sheer power her attacker produced upon impact. With another exhalation, she managed to fling her attacker's smaller frame away.

Already, Velsaria could feel cracks appearing in her spirit's armor. Despite her spirit, Dreadnought, being an earth spirit and thus excelling in physical defense, the elemental power of her opponent was gradually overcoming it.

To make matters worse, she couldn't properly use her weight advantage properly, as the enemy was easily evading each arm swing, being very nimble.

Velsaria knew there would be tough competitors in this Blade Dance, what with it being her first and at least some of the opposition being fairly experienced in combat, but this was simply far more difficult than it should have been. Here she was, one of the most talented individuals to ever be adopted into the Fahrengart name, a family renowned for its militaristic strength, top of her entire grade academically in the Areisha Spirit Academy, and prospective captain for her Academy's security detail, losing slowly.

It wasn't very apparent to the crowd cheering the fight on from the stands, as it looked like a stalemate. Which, for the moment, was actually true. But if the contemptuous smile on her opponent's face was an indication, Velsaria was only being toyed with.

'I suppose it's better than being ignored.' she thought to herself, snorting in an unlady-like manner.

If her adopted younger sister, Ellis, had heard that, she would have been mortified. As it stood, the thirteen year old girl was cheering wildly for her 'idol'.

Velsaria refocused her attention on the opponent. She had her lithe, yet stocky, frame garbed in what Velsaria recognized to be a ceremonial costume from eastern nations. A red hakama paired with a white haori. Atop her head was a hood of sorts, both holding her hair back, presumably, and hiding her face. All that was visible was an infuriating, mocking smile.

"Let's end this, Dreadnought." Velsaria growled, the sound coming from low in her throat. Yes, being insulted was better than being written off completely, but not by much. Divine energy stored in her body drastically flared up, causing the enemy to become slightly more cautious.

"Seat of Earth, heed my cry. Gouge a tear in the Sky. Fire once, fire twice. All comes to end when fired thrice."

Throughout the chant, her opponent didn't move once.

'Keep your smile through this.'

"Shell Shock." she intoned. The cannons on her shoulders lit up, bathing the entirety of her vision in white. A third cannon, appearing from her breastplate, also fired another beam simultaneously. The three streams of energy washed off the barrier erected to keep the crowd safe, making it seem as if the entire area was an ocean of blinding light.

If this hadn't been a Blade Dance in Astral Zero, Velsaria was sure her opponent would have disintegrated almost immediately. As it stood, they would only be knocked unconscious for a day or so.

Such thoughts ended when a blade of darkest black was found to be jutting through her chest from behind.

"That was an amusing game we played, wench." purred a youngish, but distinctly male voice in her ear.

Confused, Velsaria turned her head to face the hooded figure, gasping slightly while taking in his face.

He was of a darkened complexion, with black, short jagged hair framing his face. Golden eyes leered at her from within the hood from above a well-made nose. He licked his thin lips, causing Velsaria to shudder.

"Despite being rather easily beaten in the first round, you have roused my interest."

Suddenly, pieces of a puzzle fell into place. Her opponent had been an enigma ever since showing up. The need for the hood, the few words used when speaking, a few odd mannerisms. Most had assumed 'she' was a shy girl with a broad frame, when, in reality, 'she' was a man. And then history lessons, recently learned, came to the forefront of her mind.

"When I conquer this world, I may even grant you the privilege of becoming one of my concubines. Rejoice."

This man...

"The winner of the first round in the Blade Dance," the announcer started, waking from her stupor.

...was without a doubt...

His eyes gleamed in malicious glee, relishing the brief moment of absolute victory.

"...is Ren Ashbell!" the announcer finished.

...the newest reincarnation of...

Velsaria gasped as the blade slid from her still body. Slowly, she could feel clarity slipping away from her mind.

...the Demon King.

The roaring applause from the crowd was the last thing Velsaria heard as she fell into unconsciousness.

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Imagine with me, if you will, that worlds beyond our own exist. Far far away (two blocks down from Jerry's Bait Shop and to the right of Main Street in Albuquerque. You know the place.) a planet very much like our own was present. And upon this planet, a landmass formed. And thereupon that, many nations came to being as the people expanded and congregated. Within these nations were many climates and ecosystems, each teaming with life. Beasts of the field, birds of the air, creatures living in the depths of the sea. Microscopic to massive. Even the environment in which everything lived had life, projected in the form of spirits.

From their home in a dimension known as Astral Zero, they entered this strange world to live amongst the fauna and in the streams. Deep within hills or high up in the mountains. Volcanoes, bogs, even within the homes of people. All representing an element from which they held some amount of power.

As there were many elements, there were also many spirits. By far the most numerous, however, were those of the Light, Fire, Wind, Water, and Earth. Reigning supreme amongst these five 'main' elements were five spirits, akin to gods, known as the Elemental Lords.

Alexandros the Wise. Emperor of Light.

Volcanicus the Warrior. Lord of Fire.

Belphal the Kind. Governer of the Wind.

Iseria Seaward the Gentle. Matron of Water.

Load Gear the Mighty. Commandant of Earth.

Living within Astral Zero, they issued rules that every spirit adhered to, whether living within Astral Zero or the natural world itself. Even people, human or otherwise, heeded their decrees to reap the benefits of nature. For this purpose ritual dances, preceded by ceremonial washings, were offered up to them by young women as young as eight and usually no older than twenty-five in order to curry favor for prosperity. (Mock fights were also performed at times, leading to the modern day Blade Dance. Some of these women were selected by the lords themselves as Elemental Queens to be the head of ceremonies for that particular lord. All this lead to a discovery that completely turned life on its head.

Settlements with more experimental members offered cooked food, baked delicacies, prized items, and even dances to the spirits in the world around them in hopes to curry more immediate favor.

The notion succeeded. Hence, those known as Elementalers were born.

Suddenly, almost as if overnight, people were forming 'contracts' with these spirits, harnessing their abilities to increase the standard of living for all involved. Advances in construction techniques, academia, communication, at-home amenities, security, warfare, and food production jumped forward by leaps and bounds within years. No longer were people in danger of the world around them so long as the spirits and their lieges were kept appeased. These contracts, however, were not without their limitations.

Spirits, as with the people they contracted with, had various tastes in their choice of abode as well as how they were taken care of. On a general note, the cleaner and more well kept the intended dwelling, of the spirit, the more likely it was to stay around. There were always exceptions, such as mud spirits preferring dirty, damp places, etc. If the spirit found the abode satisfactory, they would move in and make their place in the home a sort of shrine. Further treatment, such as food, quality of time spent together, and general atmosphere would determine if the spirit stuck around any longer.

Another limitation would be how much stamina the person held. Abilities, like most forms of action, required vitality of some degree. The source of a spirit's abilities stemmed from how much 'divine energy' could be used in order to fuel the ability. Thus, if the person in question had enough divine energy to power the spirit whilst using its abilities, said spirit would be able to proceed in making the contract.

Academies had popped up within nations to teach contractors how to increase and control the output of energy while instructing them in other traditional studies. If a contractor was skilled enough, and their contracted spirit possessed the ability, together they could further enhance the efficiency and power of the spirit by accessing the spirit's Elemental Waffe. Beyond that still, a third form, known as a Spirit Break, sacrificed every bit of energy to draw out the spirit's total power. The backlash of doing so would usually render the contractor powerless for days and the spirit unusable until a 'normal' energy threshold had been reached.

The biggest, and by far the most important, issue was that only women were able to contract with spirits. Nobody knew how or why, but that only they had the disposition to 'understand' a spirit. All that was known was that the younger and 'purer' the woman, the more successful her contract and compatibility would be with the spirit. Thus, a female who had given birth would no longer be able to contract, and those that hadn't washed away 'impurities', such as filth from battle, would find the connection between them and the spirit dwindling. In all of recorded history, there had never been an exception.

Except for one.

However, in order to explain the aberration, we would have to dig further back when time itself had just barely became existent.

The masses had been lead to believe that there were five rulers for five elements. Which was true, in a sense. But in the eons and eons that had past, there existed a sixth main element which once had its own ruler with its own Queen. Forgotten in the annals of time to all but the Elemental Lords. Even then, it only as a faint memory of a co-ruler turned foe that had been defeated and erased from whatever passed as reality in their world.

Notwithstanding, before its defeat, bequeathed their will to one of its servants, setting up a system that, once every millenia or so, would produce a male Elementaler that would invariably be consumed by power. Every time he appeared, the world would be thrown into chaos in his attempts to overthrow the it. This individual was known as the Demon King.

To combat this threat, the Elemental Lords used a part of their power to create a Sacred Queen. Everytime the Demon King came into existence, so would the Sacred Queen be born in order to neutralize the Demon King when his powers matured. On the chance he didn't, she was to live out the rest of her life as she saw fit.

But we digress.

Let me tell you the tale of a boy who, as he grew up to become a man, worked towards the simple goal of a simple life filled with simple aspirations and simple dreams.

Let me recount to you the life of Kamito Kazehaya, who would shatter the established system, who would shatter fate, and who would alter the lives of those he would and would not meet.

* * *

Where is it written that dreams must be small?


	2. Chapter One

So many hits, so much interest. And that was only the prologue! From now on, this is the space in which I'll address any concerns brought to me via pm or review. I'll select one or two reviews and respond.

_ZenithTempest_: I probably wasn't clear enough in the prologue and the summary. 'Ren Ashbell' in this fic is not Kamito. I'm mainly using the light novel depiction of characters. In it, there was one other person sharing Kamito's appearance, only with different colored eyes and skin. And a slightly different hair style. I do, however, appreciate your warning, and will keep it in mind.

_benny6150_: Thanks for your support! I hope I don't disappoint with this chapter.

And on we go!

* * *

_|Sometime in the past.|_

"_Ara?" Restia asked herself out loud. Something about her situation was amiss. Rather, something had been added, and it was currently squirming around in the frilly party dress she deemed 'clothes'. Now that she thought about it, that 'something' felt an awfully lot like a hand._

_Without even looking, Restia grasped the offender's arm in a vice grip, squeezing it just hard enough to make the bone creak. She was a bit irritated, but, more than that, perturbed. As a spirit that took the form of a slender beauty, she was used to being courted. Throw into the mix an outfit that showed off her shapely legs, gleaming black hair, and bewitching eyes with a mischievous allure, she tended to draw in the more aggressive type of suitor. In short, Restia was used to entitled imbeciles trying to cop a feel. Not that they ever succeeded._

_Except this one did. And they did it without her even _noticing.

_Turning to gaze upon her new captive, Restia found her focus upon a child of no more than eight staring right back at her. He was gaunt and unkempt, his long hair both gleaming with oil and matted with dirt. He wore a pair of shorts that had most definitely seen better days and a ribbed tank-top, exposing his thin arms and shoulders._

_Looking into his listless eyes, Restia could only marvel at how hollow they appeared to be. But, what absorbed her attention the most was his complete lack of presence. If not for the fact that she was currently crushing his arm in her grip, the spirit could have sworn that nobody, or rather, nothing was there. It was as if he simply didn't _exist_._

"_Um...excuse me, Miss? You're kinda hurting me." the boy spoke, causing Restia to jump slightly at the sudden statement. Quick as lightning, however, she regained her wits._

"_Then you shouldn't have tried groping me. You are very lucky I'm a rather forgiving and nice woman, or else you wouldn't have an arm left to feel pain with." she retorted._

_Despite the cold words, the spirit loosed her grip to a less firm pressure, although she did not let go. This boy was very interesting, and she didn't want to lose sight of him._

"_I'm sorry." he said. "I didn't see pockets on your dress, so I wanted to see if you had anything inside it."_

_Restia just looked at the boy, dumfounded._

"_I was trying to pickpocket you." he clarified._

"_Wait wait wait. Time out." Restia demanded. "Did you just admit to the intent of thieving from me?"_

"_Yes."_

_The darkness spirit began pinch the bridge of her nose with her free hand. This was not happening. A little kid did not just attempt to pickpocket her and was most certainly not admitting to the fact._

"_If you let me go, I promise not to try to steal from you again."_

_It was happening._

"_Is that all you want to say?"_

_The boy seemed to think for a moment. "Please?"_

_She sighed. Interesting as the child was, it seemed the situation would bring nothing more than frustration. Reaching into a pouch hidden in her modest cleavage, Restia pulled a golden coin from within, handing it to the boy._

"_Here. Get yourself something to eat and some clean clothing. Do not let me catch you groping me again. Now begone."_

_She then let go of his arm, his confused face the last thing Restia saw before he slipped from her notice._

"_Thank you, Miss." a voice called out to her from nearby._

_And that was how the boy met Restia for the first of many times._

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_|Three years ago from present.|_

"I shall not permit it. Not at all. As soon as she is awake, she is to be returned to where she belongs." a voice vehemently whispered.

"There is no problem letting her stay until she is recovered. Humans do not just heal from injuries like that over the course of two days, need I remind you. Besides, we've had this conversation many times over the past two days, and not once have you come up with a valid reason to not let her stay a while." a second whispered back.

"She looks to be a vixen in doe skin. I will not let our Kamito be ensnared by-."

"Oh do knock it off. We haven't even exchanged a proper word with her yet. You of all people should know better to make judgments based on appearances."

A sigh.

"Fine. But if an incident does occur, do not say I did not warn against."

"Don't listen to her, Neithy! Candy's just afraid the new girl will steal Kamimi's affection and she'll be forgotten!" a third voice chimed in, none to gently.

"Shut your mouth, Kiwidinok!"

"Hush! The child wakes."

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When Fianna came too, everything felt sore. Her neck, shoulders, back, legs, arms, feet...everything. Especially her back. Despite the bed she found herself in being very soft, if a bit rough, and a fresh set of sleepwear, they only aggravated the aches. On top of that, a pounding in her head began to form, pulsating with each heartbeat. Her throat felt dry and scratchy.

All in all, the young woman felt miserable.

The notion was furthered when an attempt to open her eyes was rebuffed by the morning sun, its glare causing them to close immediately. An added side-affect was the worsening of her headache.

"How are you feeling, dearie?" a kindly, beautiful voice asked her.

Fianna tried to respond, but her voice came out as a croak.

"Please...water..."

She suddenly found herself sitting up, drinking the purest water the young girl had ever tasted. Sweet to the pallet, she drank the soothing liquid greedily, caring not for the source. Cup after cup was downed, little time spared for the frivolities of breathing. Inevitably, one mistimed swallow lead to another coughing fit as her lungs forcefully expelled the foreign substance, splattering the refreshing drink on her lap.

A small hand rubbed her back, mildly comforting her. Eventually, the coughing died down, replaced by a feeling of complete exhaustion. Her eyes were tearing up due to the fit, and Fianna discovered her nose has begun to run. But she didn't care. Now that her thirst had been quenched and lungs cleared, all Fianna wanted to do was sleep.

So sleep she did.

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"Good morning, Miss! My friends say you're really tired and need to rest up lots!" a young, cheerful voice said, entirely too loud for her comfort.

Turning to face the veritable loud-speaker, Fianna opened her eyes just enough to catch a glimpse of the source.

A rather pretty girl came into her vision, similar to herself in many ways: long black hair, dark eyes, feminine facial features. A slender frame encased in radiant white skin marked her to be a very beautiful woman once puberty had its way with her. The only real difference between them was that Fianna had dark eyes, the other girl had vibrant aqua-marine ones. A slight crack in her voice made Fianna wonder briefly, but squashed the thought. It would be uncouth for a lady of her status to question the development of other young women.

"Ah, um, good morning, friend." Fianna greeted, mentally kicking herself for the slip. Princesses did not mungle and stutter their words, no matter how tired they were! "How long have I been sleeping?"

"Mmmm..." the girl hummed, hand under chin, elbow supported by the other hand. "I think two days? You were really hurt when we found you, so we took you back here since we didn't know who you were and since you couldn't talk we couldn't find out! But now that you're awake, we can get to know each other and get you back home!"

Fianna was flabbergasted. Was she so obscure in the common populace that she couldn't be recognized on sight? Despite her position shifting in the court after the 'incident', to be unknown as a princess was simply unheard of.

"My name is Fianna Ray Ordesia, and I graciously thank you for sheltering and looking after my welfare for these past few days, Miss...?

"Kamito. I'm Kamito Kazehaya." the girl said whilst pointing her thumb at her chest.

"That's a rather odd name for a girl." Fianna said spontaneously, covering her mouth up immediately after.

"That's because Kamimi's a boy!" a cheery voice chimed in.

Looking behind 'Kamimi', the royal brunette noticed three hovering figures.

One had flaming red hair, cascading in waves down her back. She wore a frilled ballgown of deep crimson which exposed her face and hands. The bodice was plain with minimal trimming and everything below was a plumage of frills and ornate embroidery reaching slightly passed her feet. Upon her brow was a simple decorative circlet.

The second wore a simple blue gown that stopped mid-shin. Straight blue hair crowned her head. A caring smile could be seen on her face and a twinkle in her eyes. All in all, she reminded Fianna of her own mother in her more tender moments.

The third and final was was absolutely _beaming_ with joy. If looks were infectious, the entire world would have found peace through death by glee-induced diabetes. As it was, she had blond hair and green eyes. A white pixie dress, looking more akin to a strap of cloth than an actual piece of clothing, was 'covering' her body.

"Wait wait wait wait. She," Fianna pointed directly at Kamito. "is a he?!" As a princess, she had seen some rather effeminate looking men, but this was simply absurd!

"Of course I am!" the now identified male exclaimed irritably while flushing. "Do I look like a girl to you?!"

Fianna took a long hard look at the boy before her...for all of two seconds.

"There's no way! You're almost prettier than me!"

The deepening blush on Kamito's face would have made Fianna laugh if she herself hadn't been so shocked. Giggling and a bit of snickering could be heard from behind the boy.

Examining the three closer, the princess noticed a few more things about them. Namely that they were radiating divine energy continuously.

'Spirits.' She though. 'Powerful ones at that, being able to take on such beautiful human form.'

A question formed within Fianna's mind, and unable to contain her bubbling curiosity, she put forth the thought into words.

"Miss Spirits?"

The trio quieted their amusement while turning to face the young girl.

"Why do you stay with Kamito?"

As incredulous expressions began to form on their faces, Fianna continued.

"I mean, you don't seem like you're bound here by anything, and you are all powerful spirits seeing that you each can be seen as humans. You could enter a contract with powerful elementalers who live in better places and would treat you much better."

"I know this isn't the coolest place, but I thought it was at least nice..." Kamito sulked.

"Do not be disheartened, Kamito. The home you have provided for us is more than adequate." said the fire spirit. She smiled at the hopeful look on Kamito's face, but then frowned and faced the young princess again. "Is that not a bit rude, Lost Queen? Many times has he proved his character beyond reproach. Each day, from the time we have met, he has cared well for us in word and deed. His body may be unfit for a contract as you know it, but his mind and soul are just as pure as a princess maiden on her day of birth. Not understanding what you have experienced for yourself is unbecoming for a lady of your rank."

"Candice, that was a bit harsh. She's only just come to know about us and of our situation. Of course she'd be curious." the water spirit admonished, giving the one of fire a hard look.

"Fianna, what she means to say is that Kamito has always acted for the betterment of those who need it most. If we were to abandon him despite his exemplary treatment of us, it would be an insult to our honor as spirits of Astral Zero."

"Yeah! What Neithy said! And even if Kamimi isn't a girl, he's definitely pretty enough to be one!"

Thus proclaimed the wind spirit, giggling excitedly.

Candice groaned while palming her face. "Kiwidinok..."

The wind spirit ignored her friend, wandering into another room as the sound of drawers being opened reached her ears.

"Kamimi, what'cha doin'?"

"Looking for scissors. Do you know where they are?"

"They were lent out to a woman of the village for her sewing of that wretched dress. You have not yet retrieved it from her."

"Candice!" gasped Neith. "That dress is very lovely! How could you say such a thing about that beautiful gown?"

"Not as beautiful as Kamimi!" chimed Kiwi from another room.

"Sharp thing! Now!" Kamito hollered, voice cracking. The opening and closing of containment units intensified.

Fianna, forgotten momentarily while the shenanigans flowed forth, watched on in a bewildered state of amusement.

Meanwhile, Kamito had managed to get his hands on a kitchen knife. He was spurred on by Kiwi's excitable descriptions of how 'cool and awesome he'd look with short awesome-guy hair and how it was a shame because his long hair was so pretty and if he wanted to he could keep it and pretend to be a girl and get all the rich guys and live in a big house and have maids and butlers and then get found out and be told to do things if he didn't want word getting out and then he'd be found out anyway and forgiven but told he wouldn't be allowed to live there anymore' and on and on she chittered, oblivious to the mental chaos she was wreaking upon our young protagonist.

Which is why as Kamito used the knife to cut his hair, streams of anguished tears rolled down his face. Of course, him using a knife, it was by no means an even cut, resulting in various lengths of hair to be displayed. Somehow, it all worked out to be somewhat presentable, if a bit scruffy. Don't ask how. It just did.

"Oh, do not get the wrong idea, Neith. The dress itself is pleasing to the eye. In my humble opinion, _far_ too pleasing."

"Then what is wrong with it, Candice? If the dress is fine, and the woman is beautiful, there is nothing to complain about!"

"But there is! It is scandalous! Exposing both the shoulders and the ankles. Why, back a few decades, that would be enough to get a woman branded as a harlot! It is simply indecent!"

And so an average day went on in the life of this cozy home as Candice ranted about the affairs of modern times, Kiwidinok harassed Kamito into tears, and Neith placated the fire spirit and tempered the wind.

"Um, might I ask where the...restroom is, perchance...?" Fianna asked to her embarrassment, temporarily interrupting the chaos.

After having been given instructions to the room in question, Fianna sat down to take care of her business when a thought struck her.

'Hold on a moment. Which one of them changed my clothes while I was sleeping?!'

* * *

And that's a wrap! Please, if you have any questions or concerns, message or review. I'll do my best to clear up any confusion without spoiling what little plot I have planned. Next chapter should be out within a week or so.

Cheers!

"I don't know these stories as well as they know me, I've discovered."- Joan Gould


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